So Matsushima (松島聡, Matsushima Sou, born November 27, 1997) is a Japanese idol, singer, actor, artist, and member of the group timelesz (formerly known as Sexy Zone). He is from the city of Shimada in Shizuoka prefecture.
Career Matsushima entered Johnny & Associates in February 2011, at the age of 13, after being inspired to join the entertainment world by idol group Hey! Say! JUMP, also belonging to Johnny's.
He was selected to join the group Sexy Zone, and on September 29, 2011, their CD debut was announced to take place in November of that year.
In May 2014, Matsushima was placed into a sub-unit named "Sexy Matsu", together with Juniors Kaito Matsukura and Genta Matsuda. The name was chosen due to the shared occurrence of the character 松 (Matsu) in the trio's family names. In March, 2025, Sexy Matsu reunited after 10 years for the program "Ano koro kara watashitachi wa".
When Kento Nakajima left on March 31, 2024, Sexy Zone ceased activities. On April 1, the next day, Matsushima, Fuma Kikuchi and Shori Sato continued under the name "timelesz", which officially started as a group of eight in 2025, after including the five members selected through auditions in the so–called "timelesz project".
Theater In February 2022, it was announced that he would star in the play "Kodomo no Issei" in April of the same year, replacing Hey! Say! JUMP's Hikaru Yaotome who withdrew due to sudden hearing loss.
Television In 2022, he appeared on Nippon Television's The! Tetsuwan! DASH!!, becoming a weekly cast member in 2024.
Radio He occasionally presents the radio show timelesz no Qrzone (previously Sexy Zone no Qrzone).
Tourism promoter As a Shizuoka native, in the autumn of 2022 Matsushima became a travel ambassador for the prefecture in a campaign to encourage tourism.
Art Due to his artistic skill, Matsushima was in charge of designing the charity T-shirt for 24 Hour Television and also designed Sexy Zone's mascot, the Sekubear (a portmanteau of Sexy Bear). He also designed sneakers for Takahisa Masuda of the group NEWS, for their tour NEWS LIVE 2022 ONGAKU (音楽).
In 2023, he prepared an art exhibition titled Ko-ten at Omotesando Hills Space O from September 27 until October 15. The works consisted of installation pieces, many using mannequins to represent his experiences and feelings. In May 2024 he released a book containing images of the artworks.
Clothing design In October 2023, he has collaborated twice with the brand Peach John to produce a collection of unisex loungewear featuring motifs related to his dog, Bisu.
SNS He opened an official Instagram account on January 9, 2024 and maintains a paid blog titled SO GOOD DAY via the agency's Family Club Web.
Personal life He is known affectionately by fans and colleagues as So-chan.
He is a fan of the Harry Potter series, and once queued for 6 hours to get an autograph from Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the films series. In 2025, he appeared alongside Felton at the opening event for the Harry Potter Shop in Harajuku in Tokyo, the first flagship Harry Potter Shop in Japan.
Health On November 28, 2018, he announced that he would take a hiatus from activities to recover from idiopathic panic disorder. On August 12, 2020, he announced that he would return.
Family He has made reference to being raised for at least some portion of his life in a single father household, with an older sister 8 years his senior.
In 2019, during his hiatus, he acquired a pet French Bulldog known as "Bisu", short for "Biscuit" (Bisuketto).
Filmography
Television Dramas YearTitleRoleRole typeNotesRef(s)2017 KantaLeadAutumn Special. Drama debutTextbookGuestVoice2018Zero - Episode ZeroKeisukeSupport2021Kotaro wa HitorigurashiTasuku IwanagaGuestEps. 8–10Wall poster modelUncreditedEp. 52022Takumi YojoSupport roleSpecial 2; Season 32023Kaettekitazoyo! Kotaro wa Hitorigurashi Tasuku IwanagaSeason 2Beni Sasu LifeKazuma Hojo2025Papa and Daddy's Home CookingAkira SengokuLead2026Ryosuke TabataGuestEp. 6Kaito NagasakaSupport
Programs YearTitleRoleNotesRef(s)2024timelesz project -AUDITION-HimselfTimelesz's new member auditions2026Co-host with Shōfukutei Tsurube IIWorld news with drama recreations
References